Polarized relay



Aug- 4 1959 K. KUNZMANN 2,898,527

POLARIZED RELAY Filed Dec. 5, 1955 INVENTOR /(4A= Kunz/MANN United .States Patent O 2,898,527 POLARIZED RELAY Karl Kunzmann, Berlin, Germany, assignor, by mesne assignments, to VEB Fernmeldewerk Arnstadt, Arnstadt, Germany Application December 5, 1955, Serial No. 551,136 Claims priority, application Germany April 25, 1955 6 Claims. (Cl. 3'17--172)y This invention relates to polarized relays and more particularly to a novel manner of mounting the armature of such relays.

Polarized relays are used in a great number of electrical systems and circuits, for example in electrical communication systems, the use of the polarized relays in the latter to a very large extent being dependent on their sensitivity in general and their relatively short response time in particular.

For the successful employment of polarized relays in e.g. electrical communication systems it is of utmost importance that the response time, i.e. the time lag passing between receiving a stimulus or impulse and the actual functioning of the polarized relay, is as short as possible, and for the purpose of thus reducing the response time it has been attempted to reduce the mass of the armature, to improve the magnetic conditions prevailing in the relay and to avoid unnecessary mountings of the movable members of the polarized relays. Nevertheless, the response time of known polarized relays is still too long for successfully carrying out certain operations, eg. the braking of a motor selector.

Polarized relays having a relatively short response time have to fuliill three conditions all of which are closely related to the construction and mounting of the relay armature. The first condition is the suitable mechanical mounting proper of the armature which hitherto is effected by, for example, axle means, springs means or knife-edge means. Secondly, the provision of an appropriately constructed surface, e.g. ux lugs, is required which surface permits the ow of the magnetic flux from the permanent magnet to the armature. Thirdly, a suitably shaped part of the armature must be swingably arranged in the air gap of the relay and provided with two opposite faces from which the magnetic iiux flows away for superposition onto the exciter iiux. It will be realized, that the required surfaces on the armature for enabling the ow of the magnetic iiux to andfrom the armature necessarily increase the moment of inertia of the latter to a very considerable extent which fact in turn negatively affects the response Vtime of the relay. In practice known polarized relays which meet the three conditions ennmerated above are thus of complicated construction. This in turn makes the adjustment of the armature with its contacts diiicult, since the distances between the various operative members of the relay are of great importance to the proper functioning of the latter.

In case the armature of a polarized relay is fitted with two or more contact pairs the adjustment of the armature is still more difficult, since all the contacts are arranged in substantially rigid manner on the armature which is common for all of them, so that the mounting of the armature constitutes the common pivot for all the contact pairs. A shifting of one of the contacts necessarily affects thus the other contacts. Moreover, even the problem of electrically isolating from each other the individual pairs of contacts in an ecient manner is very difficult and increases production costs.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a polarized relay the response time of which is reduced to a negligible minimum.

2,898,527 Patented Aug. 4, 1959 A further object of the invention is to provide a polarized relay the armature of which is fixed in its mounting solely by the magnetic flux produced by the permanent magnet of the polarized relay.

Still a further object of the invention is the provision of a polarized relay the construction of which facilitates the adjustment of the armature.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a polarized relay having a plurality of contact pairs, in which the individual contact pairs are completely insulated electrically from each other Without adversely affecting the operation of the relay armature.

A still further object of the invention consists in the provision of a polarized relay having at least two armatures, each of which is inuenced by the magnetic flux produced by the relay in a different manner, whereby the response time of the various armatures is different.

Finally, it is an object of the present invention generally to improve on the art of polarized relays as now customarily made.

Other objects and structural details of the invention will be apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, wherein:

Fig.` l is an elevational somewhat schematic view of a firs-t embodiment of a polarized relay in accordance with this invention comprising a double armature construction, only the parts necessary for the understanding of the invention being shown;

Fig. 2 is a corresponding top elevational View;

Fig. 3 is a sectional View of a second embodiment of a polarized relay, the section corresponding substantially `to a section taken on iine 3-3 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a iirst embodiment of an armature for use in a polarized relay, and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of an armature for use in a polarized relay.

Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to Figs. l and 2, the polarized relay here illustrated comprises a support plate 4 of magnetic flux-conducting material on which two permanent magnets 3 are mounted. The two flux-conducting yoke arms of the relay are indicated by reference numerals 5 and 6 respectively. An armature generally indicated by reference numeral 2 is swingably supported on a knife-edge-forming support member 1 also of magnetic iiux-conducting material. Thus, the yoke arms 5 and 6 complete two magnetic circuits from the magnets 3 through the supporting means 4-1 and the armature 2 back to the magnets 3. The armature 2 here illustrated is a double armature comprising two spaced apart halves, each of which has a platelike top portion 11 carrying a Contact pair 13 on its opposite faces. 'The-lower end portion of each armature half is split in longitudinal direction so as to form a saddle portion comprising lugs 19 and 21. The armature has thus the profile of an inverted Y which is placed on and supported by the knife-edge of the support member 1. The armature 2 is swingable in the air gap formed between the yoke arms 5 and 6, its lateral deflection being restricted to either side by the stationarily mounted contact points 8 and 9, respectively. Reference numeral 7 indicates the transition zone at the apex of the knife-edge member 1 through which the magnetic ux produced by the permanent magnet 3 enters the armature.

The two flux components emanating from the permanent magnets 3 at both sides of the mounting generally flow, as indicated hereinabove, through the support plate 4, the support member 1 and the flux transition zone 7 thereof into the armature 2 and therefrom through the yoke arms 5 and 6, respectively, back to the permanent magnets 3, or in the opposite directions as indicated by the arrows C and D in Fig. l. In any event, thetwo flux components encounter the armature 2 in opposite directions.

When an additional exciter flux, generated in a winding 10, ows through the yoke arms and 6, as indicated by the arrows F in Fig. 2, the armature 2 will be deflected to either side depending on the polarity of this exciter flux.

On interruption of the exciter flux, the armature securely remains n the assumed position. As will be readily seen from Figs. l and 2 the transition zone 7 which is the contact zone between armature 2 and support member 1 serves also as pivot for the former. As can be seen best from Fig. 2 the two contact pairs 8 and 9 are mechanically independent of each other.

The embodiment shown in Fig. 3 is substantially identical with that shown in Figs. l and 2. The polarized relay again comprises a support plate 104 and the double armature generally indicated by 102 comprises two halves each of which has a plate-like top portion 111 carrying a contact pair 113. The lower end portion of each armature half is constructed in the same manner as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and supported by the knife edge of a support member 101. However, with a view to imparting the two armature halves different speed, an air gap is provided between the support plate 104 andthe left-hand half of the support member 101, whereby the left-hand armature half will respond to a stimulus at a different speed than the right-hand armature half which in turn results in different response times for the two halves of the relay.

The armature 202 perspectively shown in Fig. 4 embodies a suitable construction of a single armature, while the armature 302 of Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a double armature corresponding to the type used in the embodiments of Figs. 1-3.

The armature 202 comprises a body portion 223, merging at its lower end into a saddle portion having lugs 219 and 221 and a plate-like top portion 211 carrying a pair of contacts 213.

The armature 302 shown in Fig. 5 comprises two spaced apart body portions 323, each merging at its lower end into a saddle portion having lugs 319 and 321 and each having a plate-like top portion 311 carrying a pair of contacts 313.

It will be realized that the mechanically mounted armature as shown in Figs. 1-3 is retained on its mounting, i.e. the support member 1 or 101 solely by magnetic attraction resulting from the magnetic ux produced by the permanent magnet. The armature as here shown is mounted substantially without air gap and the flux of the permanent magnet iiows through the mounting proper of the armature. However, it is also possible that the magnetic ux takes a different path and still draws the armature onto its mounting.

Additional mounting or arresting members for the armature such as springs have thus been rendered superfluous. The armature is drawn onto its mounting, i.e. the knife-edge of the support member 1 or 101, solely by the force of the magnetic ux. The previously referred to appropriately constructed surface, e.g. ux lugs which surface permits the ow of the magnetic flux from the permanent magnets to the armature has thus been taken over by the construction of the mounting of the armature and no particular, additional ux-conveying surface is required. The construction of the relay has thus been considerably simplified.

Moreover, the moment of inertia of the armature is substantially reduced by the inventive construction, resulting in a quicker response of the relay.

The relay according to the construction of the invention fullls all three of the conditions previously referred to although from a constructional point of view the armature is destined for two functions only.

The adjustment of the armature is also simplied by the inventive construction.

I have described preferred embodiments of my inven- 4 tion, but it is understood that this disclosure is for the purpose of illustration and that various omissions or changes in shape, proportion and arrangements of parts, as well as the substitution of equivalent elements for those, herein shown and described may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

For example, although the embodiments of the polarized relay here shown, comprise double armatures, the invention is of course equally applicable to single armatures.

Moreover, it is of course feasible to reverse the construction of the mounting of the armature, i.e. the lower armature end may be constructed so as to form a knifeedge while the supporting member is formed with a V- shaped groove the apex of which supports said knife edge of the armature. Furthermore, the air-gap provided between support plate 104 and the left-hand half of the support member 101 may be provided at a different place, eg. between the respective permanent magnet and the associated part of the support plate 104, thereby obtaining the same effect.

What I claim is:

l. In a polarized relay; a permanent magnet arranged to produce a permanent magnetic ux in a lirst path, an exciter coil arranged to produce exciter magnetic flux in a second path, rst mounting means, second mounting means separated from said first mounting means, a first armature swingably mounted on said rst mounting means, and a second armature separated from said rst armature aud swingably mounted on said second mounting means, said first and second armatures being drawn onto said iirst and second mounting means, respectively, by said permanent magnetic ux.

2. In a polarized relay as claimed in claim l; means for reducing the eect of said magnetic flux on one of said armatures.

3. In a polarized relay as claimed in claim 2; said reducing means comprising at least one air gap in the path of said magnetic ux towards said one of said armatures.

4. In a polarized relay as claimed in claim 3; said air gap being provided in that one of said mounting means supportlng said one armature.

5. In a polarized relay; supporting means of magnetic flux-conducting material, armature means loosely and swingably mounted on said supporting means, permanent magnet means positioned adjacent said supporting means and emitting magnetic ux, first means of magnetic fluxcondueting material completing a rst magnetic circuit in predetermined directions from said magnet means through said supporting means and said armature means and back to said magnet means, whereby retention of said armature means on said supporting means is effected solely by magnetic attraction therebetween resulting from said magnetic flux, exciter coil means for generating exciter ux, and second means of magnetic linx-conducting materlal yseparated from said permanent magnet means and completing a second magnetic circuit for said exciter flux across said armature means in a circuitous path other than in said predetermined directions.

6. In a polarized relay as claimed in claim 5; said supporting means and said armature means each comprising a plurality of like parts arranged in a plurality of magnetic circuits, at least one of said parts of said supporting means being provided with an air gap constituting a portion of the associated magnetic circuit, whereby a variation in the response time of the corresponding part of said armature means relative to the response time of any remaining part of said armature means is effected.

Dawson Mar. 28, 1939 Tasker et al. Apr. 8, 1958 

